Christopher Hernandez, PhD, joins the faculty of the UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. Dr. Hernandez investigates the effects of the microbiome on bone and joint disorders, periprosthetic joint infection, and the biomechanics and mechanobiology of infectious bacteria. (Courtesy Photo)
SAN FRANCISCO (Jan. 3, 2023) -- The UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery is pleased to announce that Christopher Hernandez, PhD has joined the faculty of the UCSF Musculoskeletal Research Center.
Dr. Hernandez comes to UCSF by way of the East Coast, where he served as a Professor in the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell University and as an Adjunct Scientist at the Hospital for Special Surgery.
At UCSF, Dr. Hernandez will investigate the effects of the microbiome on bone and joint disorders, periprosthetic joint infection, and the biomechanics and mechanobiology of infectious bacteria. A recent NSF award supports his efforts to build living materials, inspired by his research on bacteria and bone.
Dr. Hernandez is also a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR). He is the 2018 recipient of the ASBMR Fuller Albright Award for Scientific Excellence and was recently awarded Educator of the Year by the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers in 2021.
Dr. Hernandez received his undergraduate training at Harvard University, where he received a bachelor's in science in biomedical engineering. He then trained at Stanford University, where he received a master's and doctorate degrees in mechanical engineering. Chris then completed his post-doctoral training in the Department of Orthopaedics at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, and in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley.
Based in the UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and the UCSF Musculoskeletal Center, Dr. Hernandez also holds appointments in the UCSF Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences and the Benioff Center for Microbiome Medicine. He has been named as a Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Investigator and will serve as the next Director of UCSF HIVE, Health Innovations via Engineering.
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